Week 12: Thoughts on Child Cancer Risk Higher in Richer Rural Families

While there may be some truth to the idea that children of higher income families in rural areas are more vulnerable to infection due to their isolation and to “early months in hygienic surroundings with little exposure to bacteria” which in turn impacts their developing immune systems…I take exception to this article presupposing that this is the main and primary reason for higher cancer rates in such populations.

In particular, I disagree totally with the idea that there was “no link found…between the cluster of leukemia cases, in both Sellafield and Dounreay“…both of which are located around nuclear and reprocessing plants. I mean come on! It’s only common sense…though, in all fairness, it may be a factor of time as well. This article was published in 2006. Well, it’s now 2009 and just this week the media is reporting that studies show that there are connections between radiation (therapy, etc.) being linked to cancer. Dah!

However, other factors that spring to mind include:

• If the children in question were not breast fed sufficiently (or at all), there can be a detrimental impact to their liver development as well as immune system functionality overall, making them more susceptible to illness of all kinds.
  
• Exposure to xeno-estrogenic substances in the environment (from plastics, leaded gasoline, chemicals and pollutants in the food and water supplies) that create the right climate and predispose one to cancerous conditions developing.
  
• Similarly, exposure to chemicals in cleaning products, perfumes, anti-bacterial soaps and personal hygiene products that can detriment health.
  
• The entire question of diet has been completely overlooked. Rich people tend to eat rich foods, in the form of red meat and dairy -both- of which can create an internal environment (in TCM terms: dampness) that would allow cysts and tumors to develop (especially if the above are not from organic sources).